CourseSmart
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital textbooks, Educational technology |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | San Mateo, California , United States |
Area served | Higher education |
| Products | Electronic textbooks, digital academic resources |
| Parent | VitalSource Technologies (Ingram Content Group) |
CourseSmart, a privately held enterprise headquartered in San Mateo, California, was established in 2007 with the goal of delivering electronic textbooks and digital academic resources. In early 2014, it was purchased by Ingram Content Group's subsidiary VitalSource Technologies, and by 2016, the CourseSmart brand was fully merged into VitalSource.
Founding and expansion
CourseSmart was created through a collaboration among leading higher education publishers including Macmillan, Cengage Learning, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill Education, and Pearson. From the beginning, the platform provided e-textbooks accessible via internet browsers. Its business model enabled students to rent digital textbooks, offering a more affordable alternative to traditional printed editions. Customers had the option to use both downloadable files and online versions.
The company broadened its digital footprint by launching an iPhone application in August 2009, followed by apps for iPad in 2010 and Android devices in 2011. By September 2011, CourseSmart's inventory featured over 20,000 digital titles, with print editions available at no additional charge.
By 2014, CourseSmart had established partnerships with approximately 50 publishers, supplying nearly 90% of the e-textbooks utilized in post-secondary education. Although it was among the two leading providers of ebooks at that time, the company maintained a modest size before being acquired by VitalSource Technologies.
Acquisition and integration with VitalSource Bookshelf
In early 2014, Ingram Content Group's subsidiary VitalSource Technologies acquired CourseSmart. Initially, the CourseSmart platform and VitalSource eTextbooks operated independently without interoperability. The complete integration into the VitalSource system was finalized by 2016, unifying access and consolidating the range of digital textbook products.